One Day Too Late
by LostWreckage
Summary: If only he hadn't waited. If only he had told her...but he was one day too late.


**A/N: Hey, world of fanfiction! LostWreakage here, taking her first baby steps into this new universe. Yes, this is my first fic (well at least my first published one) and I hope I did alright. I don't have a DP beta so if characters seem OOC or anything, let moi know! And this is based on "One Day Too Late" (obviously) by Skillet.**

**Disclaimer: Yay! First disclaimer, though I'm suddenly depressed 'cuz I realized something: I don't own Danny Phantom**

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><p>A chill evening breeze blew across the earth, kicking up the last of winter's dry leaves. A lone teenager walked down a street, hands in his pockets and soot black hair down over his face. His shadow was cast long upon the brick walls of the houses lining the sidewalks on both sides. It wavered and dipped with every step he took and each bump it met.<p>

He turned a corner and picked up an aluminum can that someone had carelessly thrown away. The boy slipped the can casually into a recycling bin and continued on his way.

A few blocks later, he saw a little girl playing jump-rope on the front porch of her house, giggling as she hoped back and forth, teetering on the edge of the floorboards. Without warning, she misstepped with her right foot and began to fall. Before she could even cry out, the boy was already there, catching her in his arms.

She peered at him shyly through black bangs and offered a bashful smile. He let her down gently and, after a quick glance up and down the street, conjured up a ball of ice behind his back. His soft baby blue eyes briefly flashed a hard cobalt and he gave the little girl the makeshift ice-pack.

"Lay it on your right ankle and you'll be fine," he told her softly, indicating the spot. Luckily, she hadn't sprained it but the ice was to keep it from getting sore.

She put the ice where she was told, holding it in wonder. When she looked back up to say, "Thanks," the boy was already gone.

He roamed through the luxurious suburbia parts of Amity Park, which was for the more rich and well-off of Amity's residents, seeking one specific mansion in particular. The boy stopped in front of an ornate fence, the gold-plated sign bearing the bold words "MAYOR'S MANSION" an easy giveaway. A week ago, he would have snorted at the sheer narcissism of the inhabitant, let alone visit voluntarily but now, he just looked at it with indifference.

Ignoring the steel arrow tipped gate, he simply phased through and continued up the winding driveway outlined with trimmed bushes. The path led him to an enormous purple-bricked building, the achingly familiar color scheme constricting the boy's throat.

When he knocked upon the doors, he didn't have to wait long to get a response. A lean man in his forties answered. Though in his own home, the man still wore a neat suit and his grey-streaked hair was kept back in an aristocratic ponytail.

"Daniel," the man said in initial surprise then his midnight blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you doing here?"

The boy, Danny, stared up at his long time arch-enemy's face for a moment, searching around for something unknown.

"What is it, Daniel?" Vlad asked irritably and Danny lowered his head, as if closely examining his shoes. Vlad sighed. He should have known the young halfa would just pester him to no end. "Some people actually have—"

"I forgive you."

The older man started in bewilderment. "What?"

Danny raised his gaze to meet the mayor's.

"I forgive you," he repeated in a nearly emotionless tone.

For a moment, Vlad stood in stunned silence before glowering at the teen. "If this is some kind of a joke or a trick—"

"It's not," Danny interrupted for the second time. "As much as I would like it to be, it's not."

Vlad studied the uncharacteristically stoic young man before him. Danny's usually lively azure eyes were obviously hardened as a cover, but for what? Despite the shield, Vlad could tell that this time, the boy was sincere in his actions and he relaxed. He had to make one last inquiry though…

"But why?"

As if he had been expecting that question from him, Danny replied, a trace of sadness coloring his voice, "Because I know the root of all your actions, what drives you to do what you do. At first, I thought it was only out of some pettiness formed early on in your life but I understand now." He shook his head slowly.

"You've lost the one that you've cared about for so much, probably the one who you've cared about the most, and watched as she was taken away. It drives you crazy to know that you were this close to telling her how you feel but a freak accident cost you all of that. If only you had done it sooner."

With another shake, he transformed into his ghostly alter ego and flew off, a hazy silhouette that shimmered against the orange and pink sky.

Finally, he reached his last and most important destination. The iron-wrought gate silently glided forward on its oiled hinges, well taken care of as was the rest of the area. Although the same sun shined down, to Danny, it felt as if the world had dimmed, all the light sucked up and pent up someplace inaccessible.

Young blades of grass grew thick and soft like dark moss around the rows of gravestones adorning the field. Some of them had seen the better part of a century while others looked like they were freshly put in.

He stopped in front of one of the more recent headstones. It was placed in the shade of a cypress tree. That made him smile a bit. She would have liked to know that she would be feeding the tree for years, with her biodegradable coffin and all.

Danny kneeled down in front of the smooth white marble that marked where his best friend lay in eternal slumber. He traced the epitaph, silently reading it.

_Here lies Samantha "Sam" Manson_

_Beloved daughter and friend._

_March 27 1992-August 24 2007_

That's it. No other words commemorated her life. Simple; it's what she would have wanted.

"Hey there," Danny began. "I know what you're thinking: late again, huh? Well, I have a good reason this time. I guess, part of me was hoping that somehow, you were still alive, on vacation with your folks. They're not in Amity anymore. They moved out a few days ago, not wanting to be here anymore since you…passed. The memory of you is still here. Seeing this place would only drive the truth in."

The gravestone was motionless.

"Anyway," he continued, "here I am. I realized that you wouldn't have wanted me to stay at home, moping around. So I managed to drag myself out here for you. You've _always_ been my motivation. The entire time, I was thinking of how much time I've really wasted."

Danny stared down at the lush, living carpet then directed his face at the darkening sky. The stars were coming into view, twinkling in a faint yet strong light. He liked to think that Sam was among them, looking down on him. He shut his eyes in newfound determination and tried to keep back the prickling behind them.

"So I've decided to try harder. You know, reach out to anyone who needs me. I even forgave Vlad. We have another thing in common now. Both of us have regrets for things we should have done. If only we did…" He trailed off and gripped the headstone in front of him, as if trying to assure her of something. A tear leaked out of each eye, forming asymmetrical lines on his cheeks.

"I'm going to try to make the world a better place, even without you. I've learned that I've got to make every minute last longer; we don't know how much time we have left in the world. I have to make the most of every moment and not wait 'til tomorrow. That's my biggest regret."

He didn't even remember what they were arguing about…

"_Just leave me alone, Danny!"_

"_But—"_

"_Go away!"_

_She angrily turned on her heel, away from the streetlamp's limited light and made her way to the crossing sign. Danny went forward a couple of steps and reached a hand out to the darkness._

"_Sam, I lo—" He bit his lip and brought his hand back to his side._

_Sam froze upon hearing the last unfinished syllable._

"_What was that?" she asked, half turning. Her tone was unreadable and her face was hidden by her black bangs._

_He hesitated, suddenly unsure of himself and what her reaction might be._

"_Nothing," he finished despondently._

_She turned fully away from him and resumed walking away. "That's what I thought." Although she didn't show it, she was completely and utterly disappointed in him. She knew what he was about to say it. He was this close but he didn't. Why? What stopped him? Her royal purple eyes swam with tears and they clouded her vision. Blindly, she stepped onto the street…_

_Danny still stood silently, berating himself. _Nice going, Fenton. You'll have to tell her tomorrow. You'll have to make it up to her to—

_When he heard the crash and a horrifyingly recognizable scream, his plans fell apart as did his entire world. _

_Shattered glass, shattered bones, shattered dreams. _

_No more tomorrow._

"You're not supposed to die. There were still things that needed to be done, things that needed to be said."

The cemetery was completely dark now, crickets chirping in the background. Darkness was where it happened and darkness was the chance for a new beginning, a better ending.

"And Sam, I'm sorry. I really am. I wish—I just _wish _that I had told you. I should have told you that _I love you_. I love you _so much_. But then, I was—" He choked on his words and tears flowed freely down cold cheeks. They dripped into the soil and mingled with the earth.

"I was one day too late."

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><p><strong>AN: So, how'd it go? Ok-ish, terrible? Review or PM me please! LW out!**


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